STRIVE partners present at SVRI 2015

21 October 2015

Michelle Moore

The 2015 Forum of the Sexual Violence Research Initiative was an important platform for STRIVE's research into partner violence as a structural driver of HIV.

The SVRI Forum 2015 saw more than 350 researchers, gender activists, policy makers, practitioners and survivors from around the world convene in Stellenbosch, South Africa, 15–17 September. This global event was hosted by the South Africa Medical Research Council.

SVRI exists to strengthen innovative work in low- and middle-income countries and to bolster partnerships to build capacity to respond effectively to gender-based violence (GBV) in the global South. Forum presentations are available to download here.

Samvedana Plus

Karnataka Health Promotion Trust (KHPT) researchers presented their latest research on sex work. Parinita Bhattacharjee spoke on the exploratory research in intimate partner relationships at the session on sex work, epidemiology and responses. She presented a paper based on the Samvedana Plus intervention on understanding the complexities of intimate partner violence (IPV) in the sex workers’ relationships. An accompanying poster was also selected for display at the conference.

During the session on HIV and Violence, Prakash Javalkar shared baseline findings on forms of IPV and associated HIV risk and vulnerability among women in sex work in Karnataka.

Maisha

STRIVE’s Maisha project was also showcased at the event with two presentations by Sheila Harvey and Dr Shelley Lees. Sheila Harvey’s presentation focused on the ways in which Maisha – in Tanzania – adapts and applies the Intervention with Micro-finance for AIDS & Gender Equity (IMAGE) model from South Africa. Dr Lees’ presentation highlighted the everyday lives and IPV experiences of the intervention’s women participants.